AP US Government : National Government Institutions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #171 : National Government Institutions

Which delicate foreign situation did President Jimmy Carter help to resolve by skirting around Congress, appealing to Canada's government for help?

Possible Answers:

South Vietnamese President Diem's removal from office in Saigon

Guatemala's coup d'état of 1954

Iran Hostage Crisis

U.S. invasion of Grenada

Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska

Correct answer:

Iran Hostage Crisis

Explanation:

Jimmy Carter (term: 1977-1981) oversaw the Iran Hostage Crisis, which occurred in 1979 and lasted over 400 days. It was a massively public situation that had a ton of angles to it, and many argue that this cost Jimmy Carter a second term in office. 

Iran was facing a revolution, and the Iranian students that held the Americans hostage in the American embassy were supported by the powers that were not backed by the American government.

Example Question #172 : National Government Institutions

President Ronald Reagan negotiated with USSR general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to limit specific types of nuclear weapons in 1986, and the deal became a treaty in 1988. What is the term for this kind of deal made between the President of the United States and a leader of another country - one that does not require the same Congressional involvement as treaties?  

Possible Answers:

Cloture

Quorum call

Presidential decree

Pocket veto

Executive agreement

Correct answer:

Executive agreement

Explanation:

President Ronald Reagan (term: 1981-1989) sealed an executive agreement with USSR general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev that removed certain close-range nuclear weaponry from government's weapons caches.  

Executive agreements do not need Senate approval, but can lay the groundwork for official treaties and other diplomatic progress.  

Example Question #173 : National Government Institutions

How many electoral votes are needed to win the Presidency?

Possible Answers:

271

218

435

268

270

Correct answer:

270

Explanation:

There are 538 electors, which correspond to the 100 members of the Senate, 435 members of the House of Representatives, and 3 additional members for the District of Columbia. In order to carry the majority of the electoral votes, a President must win at least 270 electoral votes.

Example Question #174 : National Government Institutions

A line-item veto allows __________.

Possible Answers:

the President to block parts of a provisional bill in the legislature, without blocking the whole of the bill

the President to overturn an act of Congress simply because it was enacted by the opposite political party

the Legislature to remove a Supreme Court Justice from office based on his personal conduct

the Judicial Branch to overturn acts of Congress based on objections not directly found in the Constitution

the Legislature to block a Presidential veto with an absolute majority vote

Correct answer:

the President to block parts of a provisional bill in the legislature, without blocking the whole of the bill

Explanation:

A line-item veto allows the President to block parts of a provisional bill in the Legislature, without having to block the whole of the bill. Although the line-item veto has been proposed numerous times in Congress, it has never been approved by both Congress and the Supreme Court; (the Court ruled it unconstitutional in 1998). Presumably, the Legislative and Judicial Branches fear extending too much power to the Executive to control the exact direction of legislative action.

Example Question #175 : National Government Institutions

If the electoral college fails to choose a President, then the responsibility for choosing a President falls to __________.

Possible Answers:

the governors of the fifty states

the outgoing President

The Supreme Court

The House of Representatives

The Senate

Correct answer:

The House of Representatives

Explanation:

In the event that the electoral college fails to elect a President then the responsibility for choosing a President falls to the House of Representatives. This happened in the election of 1800, when flaws in the original Constitution saw all members of the Democratic-Republican Party casting their votes for Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, thus creating an equal vote for President and Vice-President for both men. This was rectified in 1804 with the passage of the Twelfth Amendment, which stipulated that the electoral college must clearly cast their votes individually for President and Vice-President. It also happened in the election of 1824, when John Quincy Adams was chosen by the House (and Henry Clay) after receiving less of the popular vote and the electoral vote than Andrew Jackson—the so-called "Corrupt Bargain."

Example Question #176 : National Government Institutions

An Executive Order allows the President to __________.

Possible Answers:

pass a law that bypasses Congress

veto Congressional actions

reward loyal supporters with government positions

elect Supreme Court Justices

pardon criminal offenders

Correct answer:

pass a law that bypasses Congress

Explanation:

An Executive Order allows the President to pass a law outside of Congress. It allows the President to bypass Congress in making laws. It was originally uncommon in American political behavior, but it has gained prominence since the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. The usage of Executive Order peaked with Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as a function of his massive overhaul of social security and welfare in America during the New Deal program.

Example Question #177 : National Government Institutions

The ability of the President to veto a portion of a bill without vetoing the entire package is called __________.

Possible Answers:

executive clemency

cloture bill

pork-barrel veto

gerrymandering

a line-item veto

Correct answer:

a line-item veto

Explanation:

A line-item veto exists in many countries as means for the Executive to veto a small portion of bill without vetoing the entire package; however, in the United States it has consistently either not been supported by Congress or has been ruled unconstitutional by the courts. The President in the United States cannot use a line-item veto.

Example Question #5 : Presidential Procedures

The Tyler Precedent was established after the death of __________.

Possible Answers:

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Grover Cleveland

James Garfield

William Henry Harrison

George Washington

Correct answer:

William Henry Harrison

Explanation:

William Henry Harrison became the first President to die in office, in 1841, and his death left a great deal of confusion about who should replace him as President. The vague language of the Constitution made it confusing as to whether the office of President should immediately devolve to the Vice-President, or whether the Vice-President should simply fulfill the responsibilities of President without the office or title. John Tyler, Harrison’s Vice-President, had himself inaugurated as President and acted quickly to ensure that his position as President could not be questioned, establishing the Tyler Precedent.

Example Question #178 : National Government Institutions

All of the following describe requirements for election as President of the United States, except __________.

Possible Answers:

a candidate must be at least 35 years of age

a candidate must be born in one of the 50 United States

a candidate must be a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Constitution in lieu of natural born citizenship

a candidate must be a natural born citizen

a candidate must be a United States resident for at least 14 years

Correct answer:

a candidate must be born in one of the 50 United States

Explanation:

A candidate has to be a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, must be at least 35 years of age, and must have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. There is no requirement that a candidate be born in one of the 50 States. The requirement of a natural born citizen is widely interpreted to mean someone who is a citizen by virtue of their birth (e.g. to an American citizen parent), which does not necessarily have to occur in one of the 50 states. For example, John McCain could have been elected President in 2008 despite being born in the Panama Canal Zone.

Example Question #179 : National Government Institutions

The President has the constitutional authority to make treaties with other nations, subject to the agreement of __________.

Possible Answers:

a majority of the House

a majority of the Senate

 of the Senate

 of the House

a majority of both the House and the Senate

Correct answer:

 of the Senate

Explanation:

The Constitution explicitly lays out the procedure for treaty making. After a treaty is negotiated by the President, it is sent to the Senate for approval.  of the Senate must vote yea for the Treaty to be ratified by the United States. A simple majority of the senate is not sufficient to approve a treaty.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors